Fitbook seems to work

We have fitbooks in our clinic. And we hear from many of our patients that they prefer the apps on their phone, but here’s a story about one fitbook user who found it really does change things up when you write things down.

I know from apps I have on my phone that it’s easy to ignore the little icon. Appears I’m not the only one who finds actually writing something down has an impact. Will this continue to be true for future generations, I don’t know. I do know that writing works. Which is why we still have those fitbooks in our clinic.

6 weeks in and 15# down

Beginning the Conversation About Water

More to come on this subject as more nephrologists and urologist (kidney and urinary tracts doctors) start to weigh in on the water trend. But baby steps for now. Here’s a quick excerpt from the June 2013 AARP Bulletin:

“Q: Do I really need to drink eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy? I just can’t seem the drink that much water! A: No. There’s no scientific evidence to support this often repeated advice. The Institution of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, which develops dietary guidelines, concluded that most healthy people can meet their need for water by letting thirst be their guide. You can get fluids from a variety of sources including fruits, vegetables, juice, milk, coffee, soda and even beer. But if you’re over 65, you exercise strenuously, you live in a hot climate or you find yourself sweltering in the middle of a heat wave, try to drink extra fluids – Nissa Simon”

What I’m Eating

…this week.  This is a new occasional series of articles where I’ll share what I’m eating, to help jump-start your meal ideas.  I know it’s hard to come up with meal ideas, especially when you’re switching to a new way of approaching food.

So let’s get to it.  Wednesdays are delivery days for my box of fresh organic produce.  I get weekly deliveries from Farm Fresh to You*.  These are happy days since my meals are easy – just eat whatever came in.  The rest of the week requires a little more thought.

Breakfasts

This is where habit and consistency really come into play.  I have basically the same thing every morning, with slight variations.

Greek Honey Yoghurt with:
local honey & sesame seeds
fresh blueberries and a little raw sugar
raisins or mixed dried fruits
and so on . . .
Cranberry juice (roughly 50/50) with freshly squeezed citrus juice.  Oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, Mineolas, mandarins – you name it, I’ll squeeze it**
Hot tea.  Usually Constant Comment but I occasionally stray to Earl Gray or Prince of Wales.

Lunch

I usually end up having my largest meal at lunch, despite the advice that one should “Eat like a King in the morning, a Noble at mid-day and a pauper in the evening”.  Looking at this week, it’s been a veggie week because most of the meals were:

Salad!  But we’re not talking a wimpy side salad here.  I make a large bowl of salad with whatever is on hand, which can include cheese, avocado, fresh tomatoes (right now – it’s tomato season), seeds or nuts, leftover meat or sliced lunch meats, olives, capers and pickles, sliced veggies and eggs.  And, of course, a nice dressing – just not a gallon of it.  I happen to like the flavour of lettuce so a little dressing goes a long way.
Leftover Pulled Pork.  We have a wonderful grill at a local market every Saturday and Sunday.  At least once a month we go there and get a small (ish) container of whatever sounds good.  Right now, it’s the pork.  They also grill chicken and beef though, so our smoky, grilled protein choices aren’t limited.
Since I try to walk the walk, I avoid bread with my BBQ, which means I can actually have more of the yummy meaty goodness – and that’s a good thing!
Sliced Baby Bok Choy with garlic and chicken stock.  I got baby Bok Choy in my veggie delivery last week, so I sliced two of them up and sautéed them in a little butter with garlic and some chicken stock.

Dinner

Most of the week these were closer to snacks than meals.  Except one day when my husband & I had:

Tri-Tip Cesar Salad from the excellent restaurant The Habit.  Highly recommend!

Apart from that meal, I had:
2 eggs over medium, with garlic & cheese

Cheese and sliced meats (we tend to get cold cuts from a local ethnic deli)
Fruit – it’s peach & nectarine season and boy-o are they yummy.  Also, we have grapes.  Well, actually, I have grapes.  My poor husband is missing out on the grapes right now.
And one memorable evening, when I skidded home after a really late night at the clinic, I had a little bowl of gelato.

I hope this helps you come up with some ideas.  As the seasons move on and I start cooking some more, (rather than just tossing things into a salad bowl), I’ll be sure to add recipes as well.

*(http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php).  If you sign up, use promo code 6164 and please mention that you heard about it from me.  Or come by the office to pick up a brochure with all the instructions included.

** I got a Juiceman JCJ150S 40-Watt Automatic Citrus Juicer with 2 Juicing Cones (you can find it here) and it’s been the BEST kitchen gadget purchase in recent memory